- What is the issue/problem?
- In the wake of the BP Oil Spill, tourism has been on the decline in the Gulf region.
- What current legislation has been proposed to address this?
- H.CON.RES.309 Title: Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for a $500 million recovery fund focusing exclusively on travel and tourism to be administered by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility in the wake of the BP oil spill.
- Who is affected the most?
- The people associated with the tourism industry in the Gulf. In May, some hotels in Florida reported a cancellation rate of 50% because of oil spill concerns. As of June 23rd, Florida's tourist numbers were down 10% below expected numbers across the state, that adds up to $2.2 billion in lost income.
- In Alabama, the drop in visitor numbers what much worse. The industry reported a 50% drop in visitor numbers.
- Who loses, and what do they lose?
- It is not just the hotels that lose money, all the surrounding tourism industry is affected also, including restaurants, fishing expeditions, and diving tours to name a few.
- As far as the bill goes, the 'loser' is BP. But 500 dollars to help repair damage is not the loss they are concerned with. They have already taken a massive public relations hit as well as massive losses from the lost oil itself.
- Who gains, and what do they gain?
- If the bill is passed, there will be money ($500 million) to help with the relief efforts for the regions environment.
- For the individuals mostly affected?
- For people who depend on the Gulf for their livelihood, this issue can not go understated. Many people who fish for a living were simply out of work for the duration of this spill. For the short term, gross revenue losses for Louisiana are estimated to be $115 million to $172 million, according to a study released on Friday, October 15th, 2010/
- For their families?
- The losses translated into a job loss of 2,650 to 3,975 "full time equivalents" and an average earnings loss of $58 million to $103 million.
- For society?
- People have lost their jobs and had their livelihoods altered by a company that they have nothing to do with. Everyone is bearing the brunt of this catastrophe and it is important that those people be in mind when we move to do something to repair the issue.
- What are the economic costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?
- In a study realeased by the U.S. Travel Association commissioned from Oxford Ecpnomics, could cost the tourism industry in the Gulf between $7.6 billion over 15 months or as much as 22.7 billion over three years.
- In this worst case scenario, Florida's $60 billion dollars a year tourism industry would sustain more than 3/4 of the financial losses of the region.
- What are the economic benefits of the issue, and who benefits?
- Although we wont be able to undo the losses already sustained by the oil spill, there can be measures taken to help jump start the industry again. The U.S. Travel Association hopes to convince the federal government and BP that spending $500 million now on marketing fund directed at the oil spill recovery could generate $7.5 billion in tourism that would help offset some of the regions projected losses.
- What are the social costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?
- Tourism supports more than 400,000 jobs in the Gulf Coast region.
- Data from the website tripadvisor.com has shown that there has been a 30% drop in searches compared to a year ago for Fort Myers Beach. Fort Myers Beach is still oil free. This helps paint a picture of the stigma associated to the region as a result of the oil spill.
- What are the social benefits of the issue, and who benefits?
- It is hard to imagine good can come of this issue after all the suffering it has caused, but if big oil is forced to undergo changes to their standards of drilling to prevent this from happening in the future I feel like there is a benefit to be had.
- What are the barriers to addressing this issue?
- The barriers at this point, are getting the bill to vote.
- And letting people know that this is a problem that still needs attention.
- How can they be overcome?
- You can contact your political representative to help facilitate movement on the issue.
- And help by spreading information to the public, showing that there still is plenty to be done in regards to the social, economical, and environmental impact of the oil spill.
- What resources will we need to address this issue?
- Groups like the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S.Travel Association.
- Where and how can they be tapped?
- As they are already doing, they can conduct studies to show how this is affecting our land and industry.
- What is the history of the issue in the community?
- On June 3rd, 1979, Mexico's government-owned oil company, Pemex, had an oil well blow out. This one leaked oil for 290 days.
- On March 24th, 1989, Exxon Valdez Oil Tanker struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef off the coast of Alaska and spilled its cargo of crude oil. This was the largest spill in U.S. history until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010.
- What past efforts were made to address it?
- The Oil Spill Recover Institute (OSRI) was created by Congress in 1989 to help identify and develop the best available techniques, equipment, and materials for dealing with oil spills in the Arctic and sub-Arctic.
- What were the results?
- The OSRI has helped document, assess, and understand the long range impact of oil spills on the regions natural resources. It has helped improve the efficiency of oil spill recovery in the region.
- Who would support this issue?
- The tourism industry in the Gulf Region would be the strongest group of supporters, but I think that the whole country can sympathize with their situation. I do not believe this is a controversial issue to support so there would be a great number of allies in this situation.
- Who would oppose this issue?
- BP would be the only opposition to the issue, and I believe that they would find benefits in it. As I had stated before, they have taken a massive public relations hit, and while they are doing a lot to help with the effects of the spill, they can still do more to help with the perception of their company.
- How can you involve allies and opponents in advocacy efforts? (What common ground can you share? How can you create a win-win for your allies and your opponents?
- I think everyone would like to live in a healthy environment, and steps are being taken to stop the pollutants caused by this catastrophe. But we also need to look at the social ramifications and help the people whose lives have been altered due to job loss rebuild their lives.
As I stated in an earlier Advocacy Project post, I support this bill and its potential for the long-term economic impact for the Gulf Region that goes along with it.
Resources:
Hotel Online
ABC News
APEX News Network
TIME
Oil Spill Recovery Institue
